Living in the New York City area, I ride in an elevator several times a day. It's something I barely think about. When my dogs are with me, I usually send them ahead so that I can make sure their bodies clear the door, but thinking about their leashes getting stuck never crossed my mind. Until I watched a video (actually footage from an elevator security camera) posted by Tamara Seibert[3], I wasn't aware just how powerful elevators can be when something thin is in the doors. It literally made me feel sick to my stomach.

Last month Tamara and her two dogs were headed back to their apartment in Toronto, Ontario when Vado's leash got stuck in the elevator door. Tamara didn't notice until the elevator started moving and Vado was violently dragged to the ceiling, left hanging by his collar. You can see Tamara frantically pressing buttons and trying to detach Vado. Fortunately she was able to stop the elevator and get the poor pup to safety. Seeing as my heart was pounding, I can only imagine what Tamara and Vado were going through.

Even more horrifying, I did a quick search for dogs dragged in the elevator and countless videos came up showing pups in similar situations. Meanwhile, Tamara has been spreading the word on Facebook so that people will be more vigilant, and not just with leashes. In her crusade, Tamara learned about a 7-year old girl whose dress got stuck in an elevator. Tragically the girl was not able to be saved like Vado.

It's easy to become lax when it involves something you do multiple times a day and perhaps that's why this video feels especially horrifying to me. Please spread the word so we can prevent this from happening again.